The Headmaster reflects on a successful Easter term

March 21st 2024

The Headmaster reflects on a successful Easter term...

The Easter term sees important parents’ meetings for 3^rd, 5^th and Lower 6^th Form pupils. The inevitable development of pupils across their time at King’s is very evident from the 3^rd Form pupils, now fully settled into senior school life, to the Lower 6^th Form pupils starting to investigate the exciting life beyond school. My thanks must always go the classroom teachers and Heads of Department for all that they do to enthuse pupils in their lessons, in the provision of the many academic workshops and outside lessons, to all the essential exam preparation that is now ongoing as we build towards May and June. I was delighted that the draft CReSTeD inspection report on our Learning Support Department was so positive, and that our Learning Support teachers, Lucy Brown and Rebecca Dixon, are providing such important and varied support for many pupils.

I have published a new school mobile phone policy following clear guidelines set out by the Department for Education in February. These guidelines, which are relevant for all members of the King’s community, in effect make the majority King’s campus mobile phone-free throughout the School day.

Ashley Marshfield, our Director of Music, and I have been concerned at the negative impact of COVID on school music, with a cohort of children inevitably not getting the opportunity to take up a musical instrument during lockdown, so I am delighted that we seem to be moving back to more musical normality with increasing numbers of talented musicians coming through from prep schools. This term has been exceptionally busy for our music with Swing into Spring, the Junior Vocal Concert, the Woodwind Concert, and Spring Concert, the Big Band helping prep school pupils with their workshop and then performing at the Community Concert and Tea for 120 of our local elderly. However, the highlight was Ashley’s incredible initiative to combine the School Choir with Bruton Choral Society, some of our parents, Bruton Primary School pupils and an orchestra for a Sunday afternoon performance of Rutter’s ‘Feel the Spirit’. It was also wonderful to have one of our parents, Louise Innes, as the soloist.

The netball and hockey seasons have been very successful with special mention going to the boys’ hockey 1^st XI who lost 0-4 to Whitgift away in the Cup. Whitgift are the dominant boys’ school team in England and for our young team to be so competitive in a cup fixture was a testament to their ability and to the quality of our coaching.

I wish all staff and pupils on the school trips to Paris and Washington DC an enjoyable and safe time away, and I wish all the King’s community a peaceful Easter.

Ian Wilmshurst - Headmaster